Part 24 (1/2)
Danny leaned in closer. ”Don't watch Katie. Look at the people at the table.”
Rainey directed her attention to the table and stopped on Jared. Before she ever cleared Gillian, and made her way to Katie, he was watching Rainey. He came in and out of the shot, as Rainey moved around, but he was always watching her. At one point, the camera caught him taking a picture surrept.i.tiously with his phone. Everyone else's attention was on Katie and Rainey, so no one noticed.
Jared's expression changed when he was introduced to Rainey. He forced a smile and maintained it until Rainey's attention was drawn back to Katie. The video continued for a few seconds and then James stopped it.
”That's all there was of him on the feed. We have him on surveillance from the door camera leaving with his girlfriend right after you went out the back with Katie.” James. .h.i.t a b.u.t.ton on the keyboard and the image changed to the man in the b.u.t.ton down s.h.i.+rt. ”We also have a good shot of oxford man leaving. We're running it through facial recognition software.”
Danny stepped away from the back of the van and Rainey followed. Lightning flashed far off in the distance. A storm was coming.
”Rainey, that's not all we got on Howard. He was dismissed from the military for striking a female officer. They let him resign, calling it stress related. He did use several slurs against her s.e.xuality during the a.s.sault.”
”Do you have enough for a warrant?”
Danny scratched his red five o'clock shadow. He'd had a very long day, as well. ”I have a car on his house. His Jeep is in the driveway. Someone is in the house. The surveillance team saw the TV come on. Not sure if it's him, but he lives alone. Could be the girlfriend.”
”No, Dara told me Chelsea would not go to his house without a chaperone, remember.”
”We can get a warrant to match his tire prints to the ones we found at the last scene. It's a c.r.a.pshoot though. There were so many tracks in there before we got to the scene. We can sit on him, wait for him to make a move, keep running his info until we find enough, but no, I don't think I can get a warrant because he took your picture and he happened to live in San Diego.”
”Bring him in for questioning,” Rainey suggested. ”He's the weak partner, he'll break.”
Paula waddled over to them, cell phone to her ear. She hung up and told them, ”We have the connection. Brooks came in tonight and ran Howard's name through her 'magic machines,' as she calls them. Howard was the tech the prison's new software company sent to trouble-shoot the install. He's been inside Central Prison. They're not sure how he gained access to Dalton, but they're looking into it.”
Danny sprang into action. ”That's enough. I'll get the warrant.” He pointed at Paula. ”Get the team together and coordinate with Detective Robertson on the arrest.”
”What about me? What do you want me to do?” Rainey asked.
Danny didn't answer. Paula stepped away, as if she knew this wasn't going to go well. It seemed the team had discussed it without Rainey present, which was obvious when Danny spoke.
”Go home, Rainey. I don't want you on this bust. You've been drinking and you're looking for a fight. Come in tomorrow and I'll let you question him, but right now, you are to go home, or better yet, go stay with Katie in the hotel until we have him in custody.”
”Are you f.u.c.king kidding me, Danny?”
”No, I'm not, and if I see you anywhere near the bust, I'll have you arrested. One of these nice deputies is going to follow you home. I'll call you when it's over.”
Rainey was livid. ”I had one shot and a couple of sips of the first drink. You're just looking for an excuse to keep me out of this.”
”And you gave it to me,” Danny answered, adding, ”Now, go home and stay out of trouble. We know who he is. It's over, Rainey. Just go home.”
Rainey stormed off in the direction of her car.
Danny called after her, ”Don't follow us, Rainey. I told them to pull you over if you did.”
Danny conveniently never said where Jared lived, so Rainey couldn't go there ahead of them. She wasn't going to the hotel at this hour. Katie was probably still pa.s.sed out. She thought maybe in the confusion of the moment, while officers were moving to their cars, preparing to leave, she could slip out of the parking lot and avoid the tail. Rainey didn't need anyone to follow her home if Jared was under surveillance. It felt like an intrusion and a punishment, one she did not deserve.
Rainey reached her car, pushed the b.u.t.ton on the remote, and reached for the door handle. She pulled the door open, just as a man stood up from the shadows, behind the car. It happened so fast Rainey didn't have time to react consciously. Her gun was in her hand and pointed at the man in a split second.
She screamed, ”Freeze, a.s.shole!”
Mr. Blue Oxford took several steps back, his hands flying into surrender position. ”Whoa! Whoa! I just wanted to talk to you.”
The commotion at Rainey's car drew other officers' attention. In a flash, Blue Oxford was surrounded by cops, with weapons drawn.
Rainey took a step closer to the frightened man. She shouted, ”Get on your knees! Hands on the back of your head!”
The man complied, but kept on pleading with Rainey. ”Jesus, man! I just wanted to talk to you.”
”Shut up!” Rainey shouted at the man, making eye contact with the closest cop. ”Cuff him and search him.”
Danny appeared at Rainey's side. ”Where'd he come from?”
Rainey holstered her weapon, and said a bit accusatorily to Danny, ”Behind my car. He was waiting for me in the middle of all these cops.”
The officer finished cuffing the man and stood him up at the back of the car. Another officer pulled on latex gloves and began asking the man questions.
”Do you have anything in your pockets that might injure me? Are you carrying any weapons?”
Blue Oxford realized how much trouble he was in. He explained in earnest, ”No, I don't have any weapons. There's a pen in my right pocket. I just wanted to talk to Agent Bell. Really guys, I'm not some creep, I'm just a writer.”
The gloved cop handed Rainey the man's wallet. She looked at his ID. ”Martin Douglas Cross,” she read aloud. ”Martin, what did you want to talk to me about?” Rainey continued to go through Martin's wallet.
Martin looked scared to death, when she glanced up at him. He apparently lost the ability to speak.
Rainey prodded him. ”You wanted to talk to an armed FBI agent bad enough to spring up out of the darkness and scare the s.h.i.+t out of her, so talk. What's on your mind?”
Martin sputtered, then got on a roll, ”M... m... my name is Marty Cross. I write crime novels. I'm writing about the Y-Man murders. Cookie Kutter said you were in the bar on Twitter. I've been dying to interview you, but I can't get around that woman in your office and your numbers are unlisted. She reads your mail, you know, that woman, Ernestine... I think that's her name...anyway I saw you in the bar and I decided to go up to you, but first I had to go to the bathroom. Then I changed my mind halfway there, and came back to the lobby. I couldn't find you so I found your car and waited... I wasn't...”
Rainey waved her arms. ”Stop! Just stop.
”But I...”
”Zip it, Mr. Cross,” Rainey commanded.
Martin clamped his mouth shut like a kid in trouble, sucking his lips inward.
”Let me get this straight, you came to this bar to talk to me, because Cookie tweeted about me being here.” She folded the wallet, and dropped it on the trunk of the car. ”Martin Cross, this is your lucky day. Agent McNally seems to think I'm a loose cannon. Good thing I didn't fly out of control and shoot you. Oh, and here's my statement on the Y-Man case - you're going to want to write this down, Marty - No comment!”
Rainey opened the door to her car, got in, and slammed it shut. The engine roared to life. She threw the Charger into gear and punched it. Rainey looked in the rear view mirror to see the gloved officer s.n.a.t.c.h the wallet off the trunk just before she sped away. One last glance behind her revealed Danny pointing and shouting while officers ran in all directions. Rainey smiled.
”Catch me if you can.”
Chapter seventeen.
Rainey took the Boulevard out of Durham and around Chapel Hill. By the time she joined the 15/501 highway, she was positive no one was following her.
”You have a call from an unlisted number, please press the call b.u.t.ton to answer, or say...”